Disabling liquid



I Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES 2,171,701 DISABLING LIQUID Charles E. Hewett, Lancaster, Pa., assignor to Hewett Laboratories, lnc Lanca'ster, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania No Drawing. Application June 1, 1937, Serial No. 145,910

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a non-poisonous, noninfiammable, non-explosive ammonium carbonate base alkaline liquid which has the dual properties of an inhalent stimulator and of an irritant and .5 nerve shock inducer. When introduced in a small quantity in the nasal passages it has the property of a stimulant to revive a person similar to smelling salts or aromatic spirits of ammonia. When applied directly, even in very small quan- 10 tity, into either or both eyes of a person it acts practically instantaneously to cause a muscular and nervous reaction making it impossible for such person to see until the effect of the liquid has worn. ofi and also instantaneously produces such a nervous shock or reaction as to cause such person to open his hands, dropping any weapon he may be holding and move his hands to his eyes, thus practically instantaneously disarming and disabling any person into Whose eye or eyes it may be introduced.

The primary field of use now contemplated for this liquid is that of a disabling or incapacitating liquid. Since this liquid does not vaporize or gasify under ordinary atmospheric and temperature or room temperature conditions it is particularly suited for use as the charge of a suitable liquid projecting device.

The primary objects of the present invention are to provide a disabling liquid which may be projected under pressure from a suitable apparatus into the eye of a bandit or other criminal, or insane person or violent inebrient or into the eyes of the members of a threatening group or mob to render such person or persons helpless 35 without causing any of them any permanent injury of any nature and without any risk to the operator of the projecting device and Without any possibility of said operator being himself incapacitatc-d or effected by the discharged or discharging liqLL d; to provide such a liquid which will not be inflammable, explosive or poisonous and will not inflict any permanent damage or injury either physically, or mentally or to the nervous system or to the eyes or vision of a person subjected to the liquid; to provide such a liquid winch, upon application to the eyes or an eye will be practically instantaneous in its action to force or cause the victim to close his eyes and at the same time open his hands, so dropping any weapon he may be carrying in his hands; to provide such a which shall not be lachrymatory in character; to provide such a liquid which will not vaporize or gasify or give off a gas or vapor when used in a room or out in the open under any room or atmospheric temperature and/or Wind conditions and which will not attack the operator of the apparatus; and to provide such a liquid which with suitable projecting apparatus may be effectively employed at distances of from a foot or less to one hundred feet aid) or more, depending on the eyesight and accuracy of aim of the operator, to render a would be attacker, or members of a mob, helpless.

This liquid may be employed as a filler, for instance, of one of my liquid projecting devices heretofore patented to me by Patent Number 1,923,979, granted August 22, 1933; or Patent Number 1,983,461 granted December 4, 1934; or Patent Number 2,078,326 granted April 27, 1937, or may be used in any one of a large number of spraying apparatuses or projecting apparatuses wherein a gas or a cushion or air under pressure is used as a propelling agent to force the liquid from the apparatus under control of a release or trigger arrangement and such as might be carried about with a person as by being strapped on the back or about the body of the person, or it may be used as the filler or liquid in a stationary bank or repository or other protective system wherein discharge tubes under control of suitable release or discharge mechanism are run to suitable points of discharge to discharge the liquid under pressure.

Preferably the liquid is composed of a mixture of two compounds diluted by water to the desired strength.

Preferably I first make two compounds or solutions, one being a modified ammonium carbonate compound or solution, which may be used by itself diluted by distilled Water, and the other an ammonia modifying and lubricating compound or solution serving also as a deodorizing and preferably scenting agent, preferably mixing these two compounds or solutions together in certain proportions and diluting the resulting combined solution to the desired strength with distilled water.

Modified ammonium carbonate compound The modified ammonium carbonate compound or solution preferably consists of the following ingredients:

Ammonium carbonate, in translucent pieces gm 34 Ammonia water cc 90 Oil of lemon cc 10 Oil of lavender cc 1 Oil of myristica cc 1 Alcohol cc 700 Distilled water in sufiicient quantity to, with the foregoing, make 1000 cubic centimeters.

The ammonium carbonate is dissolved in the ammonia water by gentle agitation and the resulting ammonium carbonate solution is allowed to stand 12 hours.

The essential oils, that is, oils of lemon, lavender and myristica are then dissolved in the alcohol, preferably contained in a one-thousand cubic centimeter glass volumetric flask or cylinder.

Thereafter the ammonium carbonate solution, after having set for the time stated, is gradually added to and mixed into the oils as dissolved inv the alcohol and thereafter sufi'icient distilled water is added to make 1000 cubic centimeters of the liquid modified ammonium carbonate solution, and this solution is then set in a cool place for 24 hours, being subjected to occasional agitation throughout this period, and at the end of this period is filtered off, preferably using a covered funnel.

At this stage this modified ammonium carbonate solution is a nearly colorless liquid, but gradually acquires a light yellow hue or amber color on being left to set for from forty to fifty hours. The essential oils' as dissolved in the alcohol act as soothing or blanding'agents to modify the ammonium carbonate and ammonia water to tone down or smooth out the action of the ammonium carbonate and ammonia water cutting down their caustic qualities and rendering them less harsh and irritating to such degree that, although the eyes will smart and hurt temporarily, they will not be blistered or burned nor suffer any severe pain nor any serious or permanent ill effects.

Any other essential oils or other ingredients or elements serving this same function or having the chemical properties or physical properties suiting them to such use in association with ammonium carbonate and/or ammonia water may be substituted for the oils stated and are to be considered for the purposes of the final compound or liquid as full equivalents of the oils stated.

While the proportions of ingredients as given for the modified ammonium carbonate solution or compound are preferred, these proportions may vary considerably, such variation however involving variation in the strength or weakness of the solution or compound and making desirable variations of some other ingredients to meet the changed situation. Thus ammonium carbonate might be varied between limits of say 20 grams to 40 grams without danger of serious results, the reduction to 20 grams of course resulting in a weaker compound so far as the ammonium carbonate is concerned and permitting the use of a smaller amount of essential oils. and the increase to 40 grams on the other hand producing a stronger compound and making it desirable to increase the amount of essential oils to smooth out or tone down the greater strength of ammonium carbonate; the ammonia water similarly might be varied between say cc. to cc., and the same remarks as to weaker solution at the minimum and increased strength at the maximum with preferably variation in the amountfof essential oils to compensate for the variation in the amount of ammonia water would apply in such case; the alcohol as given in the above" formula is' simply the amount of alcohol that is necessary to dissolve the amount of essential oils specified in said formula, and if the amount of these essential oils be increased or decreased then the amount of alcohol should be increased or decreased accordingly.

Modifying and deodorizing or scenting compound of solution If the first compound or solution above described be diluted to the strength hereinafter referred to and used, without the addition of the trefle or oil of trefle, it will have a tendency to vaporize or give off gas that would be apt to affect the operator or by-standers and also it would be both caustic and lachromous, being caustic to such degree as to cause permanent injury to the eye, causing burns or blisters in the eyes, that is to say on the interior of the eye lids and other tissues.

The use of trefle or oil of trefle as hereinafter mentioned prevents such burns or blistering of the eye tissues and also prevents the giving off of vapors of gas by the liquid. Just exactly how the trefle or oil of trefle combines with the ammonium carbonate or with any or all of the ingredients specified in the modified ammonium carbonate compound, or with said compound to achieve the foregoing results I cannot certainly say, but whatever the reason the fact remains that it does achieve said results.

Additionally the oil of trefle serves to kill or mask the ammonia smell or odo-r and to give the compound or solution a pleasing small or scent.

The modifying and deodorizing or scenting compound or solution consists of Alcohol cc 1.2 Oil of trefle cc .3

these ingredients being mixed together and the alcohol being used to dissolve the trefle or oil of trefle. 7

Combined solution Having made up the two foregoing compounds or solutions I combine them in the proportions of 15 parts of the modified ammonium carbonate compound or solution to 4 parts of the modifying and deodorizing or scenting compound, or 2 cc. of the modified ammonium carbonate compound to eight fifteenths cc. of the deodorizing or scenting compound, said deodorizing or scenting compound or solution being added, by pouring in slowly, to the ammonium carbonate compound and the two compounds or solutions being thoroughly mixed together into a combined solution or compound, preferably by agitating during the addition of the deodorizing or scenting compound and subsequent thereto if necessary or desired.

This combined solution or composition is a concentrated product to which distilled water is to be added in such amount as may be necessary to produce a disabling liquid of a desired strength and this combined solution in its concentrated non-diluted form'may be sold and shipped in this form and thereafter diluted by the purchaser or consumer to the strength desired of preferred by the purchaser.

Also, while the use of the modifying and deodorizing or scenting compound or solution is preferred as rendering the liquid unobjectionable, so far as odor goes, for use in bank buildings and also as killing the ammonia odor and avoiding the possible forewarning of possible bandits, its use is not absolutely essential and the modified ammonium carbonate compound or solution by itself may be used as the concentrated solution or compound and either shipped and sold in such concentrated form, or diluted with distilled water to the strength desired, but in such case it would do permanent injury to the eyes and would vaporize or give off a gas.

Final diluted compound or solution Preferably to one and one-third (1 cc. of the combined compound or solution is added 5 cc.

of distilled water, the resultant mixture being thoroughly mixed together by any suitable agitating means or method, and this produces the present preferred strength of disabling liquid ready for charging or loading in the desired liquid projecting devices or apparatuses.

To this final mixture, or to the concentrated combined solution, or to the modified ammonium carbonate compound or solution may be added any suitable disguising or masking agent, such as a suitable vegetable coloring matter.

In forming the combined solution the modifying and deodorizing or scenting compound or solution should be added slowly to the modified ammonium carbonate compound or solution and should be stirred gently thereinto until the ingredients have thoroughly mixed together. After they have been thoroughly mixed together by slow and gentle agitation their chemical reaction together will have been completed and the resulting combined compound or solution will be ready for immediate use.

While the preferred strength of the final compound or solution is as given, one and one-third cc. diluted by 5 cc. of distilled water, various different strengths of the solution may be desired by some or may be found preferable for certain specific conditions and purposes and such different strength solutions may be obtained by varying the amount of water. In other words, by using more water to the same amount of the combined solution or compound the strength of the solution would be decreased, or the same result might be obtained by using the same amount of water and a less amount of the combined solution. Similarly the strength of the solution may be increased by using less water to the same amount of the combined solution or using more of the combined solution to the same amount of water.

In varying the proportions of the ingredients used in compounding the modified ammonium carbonate compound it should be kept in mind that one very important attribute of the final resulting liquid is that it is non-poisonous and of such character that it will not inflict permanent injury and care should be taken in varying the proportions to see that the varied formula does not result in a poisonous composition or one that will inflict permanent injury. For instance as the preefrred amount of 34 grams is decreased down to say 20 grams of ammonium carbonate the trend is away from the poisonous permanent injury inflicting stage, and on the other hand when the amount of said ingredient is increased from 34 grams toward and up to forty grams the trend is toward the poisonous permanent injury inflicting stage, it being assumed in both instances that all other ingredients of the modified ammonium carbonate compound or solution are left as stated in the formula given therefor. Likewise, if the amount of ammonia water be decreased the trend will be away from the poisonous permanent injury inflicting stage and if the amount of ammonia water be increased the trend will be in the reverse direction, all other ingredients being left as stated in said formula.

By ammonia water referred to in the formula for the modified ammonium carbonate I mean forty per cent of twenty-seven and one-half Baum ammonium gas and sixty per cent distilled water, in other words, ammonia water as defined by the United States Pharmacopoeia.

Wherever the term alcohol is used I mean pure grain alcohol, in other words, ethyl alcohol.

By trefle or oil of trefle I mean a trefle perfume oil as now made in France and imported into the United States and now on the market and sold in the United States for at least the last six years by Givandau-Delawanna, of New York, N. Y., the same being a concentrate and offered to the trade as a deodorant or odor killer or masker.

I have tried various other essential oils such as oil of peppermint, oil of cloves, oil of Sassafras, oil of roses, oil of honeysuckle and oil of locust blossom for the purpose of modifying the action of the other ingredients to prevent permanent injury to the eyes, that is the burning or blistering, and also to prevent the gasifying or vaporizing of the liquid but found that none of them would accomplish either of the results desired, although each of them would serve equally well as the trefle or oil of trefle where the sole function considered was that of deodorizing or masking the ammonia and giving the compound a pleasing smell.

In using oil of pepermint, or oil of cloves or oil of locust blossom about the same amount would be required as in the case of using trefle, whereas in using oil of Sassafras, or oil of roses or oil of honeysuckle considerably more would be required. In other words, whatever odor masking or killing agent is used, a quantity sufilcient to accomplish the desired result would be necessary.

I claim:

1. A non-poisonous, non-inflammable, non-explosive alkaline ammonium carbonate base disabling liquid containing ammonium carbonate, ammonia water, alcohol, essential oils acting as modifying agents combining with the ammonium carbonate to tone down and smooth out and render less irritating and harmful the harsh caustic irritating action of the latter, and oil of trefle serving to prevent burning or blistering of tissue in the eye socket, said liquid being stable under atmospheric temperature, humidity and wind conditions.

2. A non-poisonous, non-inflammable, non-explosive alkaline ammonium carbonate base disabling liquid containing ammonium carbonate, ammonia water, alcohol, and oil of trefle modifying the caustic nature and harsh irritating action of the ammonium carbonate and the ammonia water and preventing the vaporizing of the liquid and also preventing the burning or blistering of tissue in the eye socket, said liquid being stable under atmospheric temperature, humidity and wind conditions.

3. A non-poisonous, non-inflammable, non-explosive alkaline ammonium carbonate base disabling liquid comprising oil of trefle and the following ingredients in substantially the proportions and quantities per cubic centimeter as follows:

Ammonum carbonate gm .034 Ammonia water cc .09 Oil of lemon cc .01 Oil of lavender cc .001 Oil of myristica cc .001 Alcohol cc .7

Sufficient distilled water to, with the foregoing,

make 1 cubic centimeter.

CHARLES E. HOWETT. 

